Commercial Space News

Payload • Victoria Woodburn

NASA awards SpaceX Starlink contract for Artemis III laser communications in LEO

NASA has selected SpaceX to deliver laser communications capabilities for the Artemis III mission using Starlink. The contract supports ship-to-ship communications in low Earth orbit, aiming to improve how Earth-based observers view and monitor planned in-orbit activity in the 2027 timeframe.

2 Sources

2026-07-17T05:58:32.578049-07:00

Space Intel Report

Ovzon reports 48% revenue growth and 38% EBITDA increase in Q2; company weighs timing for its second satellite

2 Sources

2026-07-17T04:45:24.393807-07:00

Reuters

SpaceX IPO boosts US Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler’s investment, netting millions after nomination

2 Sources

2026-07-17T03:27:17.334873-07:00

Via Satellite

AST SpaceMobile pushes Direct-to-Device commercial launch to early 2027; raises $1B via share sale and flags potential vertical

2 Sources

2026-07-16T13:50:47.084854-07:00

Commercial Space Industry (New Space) News Timeline

Payload

2 sources

NASA awards SpaceX Starlink contract for Artemis III laser communications in LEO NASA has selected SpaceX to deliver laser communications capabilities for the Artemis III mission using Starlink. The contract supports ship-to-ship communications in low Earth orbit, aiming to improve how Earth-based observers view and monitor planned in-orbit activity in the 2027 timeframe.

2026-07-17T05:58:32.578049-07:00

NASA awards SpaceX Starlink contract for Artemis III laser communications in LEO

Space Intel Report

2 sources

Ovzon reports 48% revenue growth and 38% EBITDA increase in Q2; company weighs timing for its second satellite Swedish satellite operator and mobile satcom terminal manufacturer Ovzon said revenue for the three months ended June 30 rose 48% year over year and EBITDA increased 38%. Operating profit and cash flow also climbed materially, while the company said it is still considering its second-satellite plans.

2026-07-17T04:45:24.393807-07:00

Ovzon reports 48% revenue growth and 38% EBITDA increase in Q2; company weighs timing for its second satellite

Reuters

2 sources

SpaceX IPO boosts US Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler’s investment, netting millions after nomination A Reuters review of U.S. Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler’s financial disclosures found her investment in Elon Musk’s SpaceX rose sharply following the company’s IPO, generating millions of dollars. The gains reportedly followed her nomination for the SBA role, elevating scrutiny of her post-nomination financial position tied to SpaceX.

2026-07-17T03:27:17.334873-07:00

SpaceX IPO boosts US Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler’s investment, netting millions after nomination

Via Satellite

2 sources

AST SpaceMobile pushes Direct-to-Device commercial launch to early 2027; raises $1B via share sale and flags potential vertical AST SpaceMobile has rescheduled its commercial Direct-to-Device (D2D) service launch to early 2027, moving it from a prior late-2026 timeline. The company also launched a share sale to raise $1 billion and said it may consider vertical integration in its launch efforts.

2026-07-16T13:50:47.084854-07:00

AST SpaceMobile pushes Direct-to-Device commercial launch to early 2027; raises $1B via share sale and flags potential vertical

Space Intel Report

None source

ESA assessment: European space private investment fell 8% in 2025 but remains on a 37% five-year growth track Private investment in Europe’s space sector dropped 8% in 2025, according to an ESA market assessment, though activity continues to interest venture capital firms. Despite the year-over-year decline, the sector preserved a five-year average growth rate of 37% and is up roughly 2X since 2021.

2026-07-16T11:57:29.800384-07:00

ESA assessment: European space private investment fell 8% in 2025 but remains on a 37% five-year growth track

Via Satellite

8 sources

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Space Development Agency restarts Falcon 9 launch campaign, placing 21 data-transport satellites into low Earth orbit SpaceX launched 21 satellites for the Space Development Agency (SDA) aboard a Falcon 9 on July 16, resuming the Pentagon’s first operational low-Earth-orbit military data network after a months-long pause. SDA cited software and hardware issues discovered on in-orbit units and delayed launches to address known problems.

2026-07-16T09:14:01.263011-07:00

Space Development Agency restarts Falcon 9 launch campaign, placing 21 data-transport satellites into low Earth orbit

European Spaceflight

3 sources

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ESA selects Ariane 6 for HENON CubeSat launch to demonstrate future solar storm monitoring ESA has chosen Ariane 6 to launch its HENON CubeSat mission, aimed at demonstrating a future capability to monitor solar storms. The launch will carry a deep-space smallsat payload designed to validate space-weather observation concepts.

2026-07-16T08:16:12.287228-07:00

ESA selects Ariane 6 for HENON CubeSat launch to demonstrate future solar storm monitoring

Payload

2 sources

Mission Authorization Hearing Puts Office of Space Commerce Framework Costs Under Scrutiny A hearing on the Office of Space Commerce’s framework for novel mission authorization turned into a debate over whether the office can afford to implement the approach. The proceedings highlighted funding and budget constraints as a central gating factor for execution of the authorization process.

2026-07-16T05:51:40.939117-07:00

Mission Authorization Hearing Puts Office of Space Commerce Framework Costs Under Scrutiny

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